Ford Announces Eglinton LRT Will Be Underground

Some news this afternoon for anyone who has bought – or is thinking about buying – a new home along Toronto’s bustling Eglinton Avenue: Mayor Rob Ford announced today that the Eglinton crosstown light-rail line will be almost totally underground.

The city agreed to pay $4.2 billion for an expansion of the Sheppard subway and, in return, the province will foot the bill for the Eglinton subway and the cost of replacing the aging Scarborough rapid transit at an estimated bill of – gulp – $8.4 billion.

As the Globe and Mail pointed out, the agreement “is the final nail in the coffin for the Transit City plan which would have meant four new rapid transit lines in the city.”

So, while people who live in – or will soon live in – any of the many condominium projects sproutingupalongEglinton Avenue should probably be doing a fist-pump or two, some other transit-dependent Torontonians might more likely be using their fists to slam against their respective tables.

As we learned at a young age thanks to hours spent playing Sim City: running a town sure ain’t easy.